pastoralists in India are as follows;
1. Even today the Gujjar Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir are
great
herders of goat and sheep. Many of them migrated to this region
in
the nineteenth century in search of pastures for their
animals.
Gradually, over the decades, they established themselves in the
area,
and moved annually between their summer and winter grazing
grounds. In winter, when the high mountains were covered
with
snow, they lived with their herds in the low hills of the
Siwalik
range. The dry scrub forests here provided pasture for their
herds.
By the end of April they began their northern march for their
summer
grazing grounds. Several households came together for this
journey,
forming what is known as a kafila. They crossed the Pir Panjal
passes
and entered the valley of Kashmir. With the onset of summer,
the
snow melted and the mountainsides were lush green. The variety
of
grasses that sprouted provided rich nutritious forage for the
animal
herds. By end September the Bakarwals were on the move again,
this
time on their downward journey, back to their winter base.
When
the high mountains were covered with snow, the herds were
grazed
in the low hills.
In a different area of the mountains, the Gaddi shepherds of
Himachal Pradesh had a similar cycle of seasonal movement.
They
too spent their winter in the low hills of Siwalik range,
grazing their
flocks in scrub forests. By April they moved north and spent
the
summer in Lahul and Spiti. When the snow melted and the high
passes were clear, many of them moved on to higher mountain
